


Place You'd Stop Off from the Highway

by relised



Series: RIP; You & Me [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M, Steve Harrington is a badass, The Upside Down, demodogs, metions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 20:14:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16025192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/relised/pseuds/relised
Summary: Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins, Indiana. He hated the small farm town, hated the hicks that lived there, hated the cold weather that froze his fingers and made the tip of his nose pink. He missed the sun shining down on him as he surfed, missed the fact he could sleep on the beach when his old man drank too much...When Billy accidentally stumbles upon the Upside Down trying to hide away from his dad, who else is going to save him but Steve Harrington? And by saving Billy, maybe it starts something more...





	Place You'd Stop Off from the Highway

**Author's Note:**

> I've currently fell down the rabbit hole that is Billy/Steve. I'm planning on this being an ongoing series, so I hope you like it! All titles are from the song "RIP" by 3OH!3.

  
Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins, Indiana. He hated the small farm town, hated the hicks that lived there, hated the cold weather that froze his fingers and made the tip of his nose pink. He missed the sun shining down on him as he surfed, missed the fact he could sleep on the beach when his old man drank too much.

But here he was, stuck here for the foreseeable future because the beatings at his dad's hands got too out of hand. The night Max accidentally let it slip what Billy had been doing down at the pier. The night his dad nearly killed him, landing him in the hospital for a week with a broken leg, three cracked ribs and a concussion.

The cops had started poking around that night.

Two days after Billy was out of the hospital Neil had moved the family across the country.

Sometimes Max would look at him with a face full of guilt and he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't just a coincidence the old lady across the street noticed him. Neither one of them talked about it, though.

Billy was crawling out of his skin. He was full of pent up aggression and there was nothing to take it out on. He spent most of his nights speeding down back roads and chain smoking, wishing for something-anything-stronger. He was too afraid to go to any of his classmates parties on the weekend. Ever since he lost control and almost killed Harrington, he wasn't willing to risk it.

Easing the Camero into the parking lot by the lake, Billy pulled his leather jacket on before pulling a bottle of vodka from underneath the seat. The jacket did little to block the cold, but he'd be damned before he bought something heavier. He would be out of this hell state as soon as he could. Kicking gravel out the way, he made his way to an old bench along the shore line. The legs and base of the bench were warped from years of flooding, but Billy didn't care. It was safer here drowning in the lake then going home to his dad.

Billy laid back on the bench, taking a heavy swig from the bottle. He shook a cigarette out of the crumple packet in his pocket, lighting it with a shaky hand. He let his left forearm rest over his eyes, the cigarette burning between his fingers. He was just slipping off to sleep when he heard a clicking sound coming from the woods behind his car.

Sitting up slowly, Billy took a heavy drag on his cigarette and finished the last swig of vodka. He pushed himself to his feet, following the sound.

He doesn't know how far he made it into the woods before he noticed the change around him. The stars shown brighter, even through the trees. These trees were clearly older, their roots climbing from the soil.

Before him stood a tree with a large gap built into it's trunk. Billy slowly approached, his shaky hand reaching inside. A sticky slime oozed from the hole, and he quickly pulled his hand back. He heard the clicking noise from before, turning on his toes to track the noise. As he did so, he stumbled, falling into the gap.

He landed with a thunk, groaning as more of the sticky slime clung to his clothes. Pushing himself to his feet, he slowly walked through the woods that was so similar to where he had been, but still so different. His face crumpled in confusion, he made his way back towards what he thought was the lake. He leaned against a tree to catch his breath, staring in awe at the site before him.

The lake was there, alright, but it was coming from the sky. His car wasn't where he left it, and every surface of the woods seemed to be covered in that same slime.

"What the fuck is this place?" He whispered to himself, spinning slightly. He started when he heard a growl coming behind him. Billy turned around slowly, his heart pounding out of his chest.

A green, scaly animal stalked towards him, it's mouth folded together like a Venus fly trap. Billy took a step back, moving away from the creature. The creature matched his pace, taking a step forward for her every step he took back. Billy had just decided to turn and run we he tripped over a log, falling hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.

The creature lurched forward with the same clicking noise Billy had heard earlier. It's mouth opened, revealing rows of teeth before it latched onto Billy's calf. He screamed, the pain shaking him to the core as he tried to use his free leg to kick the animal away. That only seemed to infuriate the thing more and it took another bite, working it's way up his calf. Billy screamed louder, trying to pull away. He froze, however, when the clicking sound got laugher. More creatures closed in around him.

'This is how I'm going to die,' Billy thought, closing his eyes as the creature crouching over him opened it's mouth wide. Before it could bite him again a juicy thunk sounded above him.

"Don't scream, Hargrove," a voice said lowly above him, and Billy opened his eyes to see Steve Harrington standing over him holding a bat with nails beat into it. Steve stood over Billy, glancing around them, his bat held at the ready. Billy's eyes left the boy standing above him and fell on his leg. His jeans had been ripped away, what was left clinging to his skin covered in blood. He sat up a bit to get a look at the wound, groaning at the pain. Beneath the blood, he could see bone. His stomach rolled, all the vodka he drank fighting to be let out.

"What the fuck, Harrington?" He growled as Steve watched over his shoulder.

"No time. We've got to get out of here. Just keep quiet. Can you walk?" Steve held his hand out to help him up. Billy begrudgingly took it, climbing to his feet. He took one step before his leg gave out below him, a whimper escaping his lips. "I'm going to take that as a no," Steve mumbled.

Billy groaned as Steven slung Billy's arm over his shoulder. Wrapping his arm around the other guys waist, Steve started dragging them back to the woods. Billy limped along beside him, glancing over his shoulder ever few steps.

"Dustin!" Steve hissed, trying to keep his voice low. "Dustin, damnit, get out here!" The high schoolers struggled on, Billy leaning heavily on Steve as he panted. His vision was starting to blur, the pain pulsing through his body. "Come on, Hargrove," Steve whispered into his ear, adjusting his grip. "You got to work with me if we're going to get out here."

Billy nodded, trying to hold himself up as a curly hair boy came running through the trees, a crowbar in one hand and a bat that was identical to Steve's in his other. Further behind him, Billy thought he saw Max and the Sinclair kid. If he got out of this, he was going to kill her.

"Steve! Holy Shit! That's that guy that tried to kill you!" Dustin yelled, pointing the crowbar at Billy. Billy tried to sneer in return, but it came out as more of a grimace of pain.

"I'm aware, Dustin," Steve sighed, adjusting Billy's arm across his shoulders. Glancing at the slightly taller boy, Steve could see the band of sweat across his upper lip and the slight tremble to his limbs. "But we've got to get him out of here!" Dustin started to argue, but Steve cut him off, pointing the bat at him. "Demodogs, Dustin! Demodogs!"

"Shit!" Dustin yelled, his head on a swivel as he tried to scope out the creature.

"What the fuck is a Demodog?" Billy slurred, his head getting fuzzier by the minute.

"Later, Hargrove," Steve groaned, dragging Billy along. "I'll explain everything later once we're out of here. But you're got to stay awake, okay? I can't carry you if you're dead weight."

Billy nodded, shaking his head to get his wits about him. The group trudged on, the kids surrounding Billy and Steve, each having their own weapon. If Billy wasn't so focused on staying conscious, he'd be screaming at whoever got his step-sister involved in the shit. But every trudging step sent sharp pain through his entire body and it was taking everything he had to stay awake.

"We came in from the pumpkin farm, but that's all the way through the woods and..." Steve started, trying to keep his eyes on the four middle schoolers surrounding him. Mike took the crowbar from Dustin, Max carrying a crowbar of her own. Lucas circled the group, slingshot in hand. .

"I can't make it all the way through the woods," Billy mumbled, tipping on his feet. Steve tightened his grip before he fell, dragging him back to standing. "But I didn't get here from the farm. I came through a tree." Steve and Dustin shared a look as the clicking behind them grew louder.

"A tree?" Steve asked, tightening his one handed grip on his bat. "We're in the woods, Hargrove, I'm going to need you to be more specific!" Lucas let a rock fly from his slingshot, the growl from an approaching Demodog breaking through the trees.

"Big, old," Billy panted, his vision swimming. "Big hole in the trunk. Big enough to fall through."

"Max! Look for a big old tree with a big hole in the trunk. There's no way we're going to make it through to the other exit. This is our only chance!" Max nodded, shining the flashlight she carried at every tree they passed. "Come on, Hargrove. I let you die out here, there's no way I'm winning my keg stand record back fair and square. It won't count if you're dead! We're almost there."

"I think they're following the blood, Steve," Mike said quietly from his side, his eyes darting around the clearing.

"Yeah, well, didn't pack a first aid kit for our trip to the Upside Down, Mike. We weren't even supposed to be going to the fucking Upside Down!" Steve groaned as Billy stumbled, his eyes rolling back in his head. "I need some help over here!"

"Here!" Max yelled, pointing her flashlight at a tree with a huge gap in it's base. Mike ran to Billy's other side, trying to help Steve keep him up.

"They're getting closer!" Dustin yelled as he swung his bat at an approaching animal. The thing yelped before it's growling got louder.

"Max, go through! I'll push him through and then you head to Hopper's. He'll take Billy to the hospital-he'll know what excuse to use." Max nodded, stepping through the gap. Steve stumbled, pushing Billy through after his step-sister. Mike slipped in after, shortly following be Lucas. Dustin, however, hung back.

"I want to help," he said, holding his bat up like he was waiting for a pitch. Steve opened his mouth to argue but sighed before nodding.

"Let's do this shit."

****

Billy could smell the burning tires from where he laid in the back seat, the Sinclair kid pushing a dirty t-shirt into the wound on his leg. He winced at the sound of the gears grinding as someone struggled their way through shifting. He opened his eyes to just a squint, trying to figure out where the fuck he was.

He could tell he was in the back of his own car and he groaned at the streak of red hair flashing from the front seat.

"Don't break my car, Maxine," he moaned, letting out a short yell as Lucas pressed deeper into the wound.

"Don't bleed out in our own car, William," she shot back, glancing at him in the rear view mirror.

"Up here, turn right at the oak tree. I'll run up and get Hop," Mike said, opening the door before she ever came to a complete stop.

"Am I dead?" He moaned, closing his eyes as he threw his arm over his eyes.

"Not yet," Max said, drumming anxiously on the steering wheel. He jumped slightly when she reached out to squeeze his arm. Billy was sure he was dead; Max hadn't been able to stand in the same room as him since they moved from California. He was sure she wouldn't care if he died. "Just hold on, Billy. Hopper's coming."

Just as the chief of police ripped the door of the Camero open, Billy slipped into unconsciousness.

****  
Considering it was just him and a very uncoordinated thirteen year old with baseball bats and a handful of nails, Steve feels they did a pretty good job. They tag teamed the bigger of the Demodog's approaching them, the smaller ones baking away as he took out his fury.   
  
He'd been on edge ever since they left the house. Finding Billy Hargrove about to be Demodog food hadn't helped his mood at all.

There was something about the boy that had gotten under his skin and Steve couldn't explain it. He's noticed the way the boy flinched at loud noises, lashed out at others before they could be angry at him. He saw the way the boy seemed truly afraid at the aspect of his step-sister angering his dad or going home alone. He knew the boy was smarter than he let on, seeing the perfect papers he'd shove in to his bag during class so no one could see. Billy was a mystery wrapped in an enigma and Steve wanted to, no, needed to crack through all the layers to understand.

Steve and Dustin trudge though the woods in silence, their bats at the ready for any threats. It takes them forever to even find the trail that Dustin had left to find their way back, but finally he sees the rope they left tied to his bumper in the pumpkin patch. With a grunt, Steve boosts Dustin up the rope before scrambling behind him. As soon as he's out of the gap, the hole seals behind him. Steve laid gasping on the ground, Dustin leaning against the front tire of the Beamer.

"Is this ever going to end?" Dustin asked as Steve picks himself off the ground.

"Maybe when we die?" He mumbled, climbing in the driver seat, waiting for Dustin to get in the passenger side. The engine roars to life and Steve peels out of the field, needing to put as many miles between them and the Upside Down as he can. Dustin stays quiet until the reach the edge of town.

"Steve?" He asked, waiting for the hmm of confirmation. "Why did you save Billy? He beat your face in. You gave a valiant fight, but he still beat your face in." Steve snorted, running his hand through his hair.

"People like Billy over compensate for other shit in their life. He may be a dick, but he doesn't deserve to die in the Upside Down." Steve held his hand up to stop Dustin from arguing. "You'll get it when you're older," he said with a shrug. Steve hoped he got it when he was older, too.

****  
Steve watched from his chair in the waiting room as Max spoke to a man who looked nothing like her. It took him a minute to decide it must be her step father, Billy's dad. She was gesturing around widely, her eyes wide as she spun some story to cover all of their asses. He hadn't thought to prep her with anything before they got here, and he's almost positive Hopper hadn't either.

After a while of quiet arguing, Mr. Hargrove pointed a finger at her before turning and walking away. Max's whole body seemed to sag in relief before she crossed the room, throwing herself down into a chair. She was the only one awake, Dusting and Lucas sprawled across a small couch and Mike curled up in a chair near by asleep. Steve sighed, crossing the room to sit next to the redhead.

"What did you tell him?" He asked, drumming his fingers on the armrests of the chair. The doctors had been working on Billy for at least an hour and he was starting to get anxious.

"That I wasn't where I was supposed to be and that Billy went looking for me. I said that he must have heard about Will's club house out in the woods and that he came looking for me there. That's where he got attacked by the coyote; that he was looking for me since he knew mom and Neil would be concerned. I... I took the blame."

Steve watched her closely, taking in the scared expression. He furrowed his brow before leaning forward to look into Max's face.

"Is...is something wrong?" Steve asked quietly and Max visibly flinched.

"My...my step dad's a real prick. He, uh. He smacks Billy around sometime. Actually, that's part of the reason we had to leave California. Something happened and Neil beat Billy up; Billy ended up in the hospital for a week and the neighbors started talking. Neil tried to pass it off that Billy got jumped by someone and Billy played along, but then the cops got involved. Neil moved us clear across the country to get away from it all..."

Steve stared at her with wide eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before clearing his throat.

"Why did you take that blame?" He finally settled on, studying the young girls body language.

"I...I'm the one who got him in trouble that night. I...I feel bad. Every time I try to apologize Billy loses his shit. I thought that...I thought that if I kept Neil off his back this time...gave him a couple days to get better he might start to forgive me."

She looked so small, this young girl who's clearly been keeping a horrible secret. Steve squeezed her arm gently as an orderly pushed a sleeping Billy past on a bed on the way back to his room. As he pushed himself to his feet, he gently ruffled Max's hair.

"He'll be okay...This is all going to be okay."

***  
Billy woke slowly to a steady beeping in his ear, a needle in the back of his hand. He groaned, rubbing tiredly at his eyes before glancing at his leg. It was wrapped in a thick white bandage up to his knee, the whole thing propped up by a mess of pillows. He could see small drops of blood oozing through the bandage.

"What the fuck," he whispered, letting his head fall back.

"Hopper told them you were bit by a wild coyote," a voice to his right said tiredly and Billy jumped. His eyes flew open to see Steve Harrington sitting next to his bed, his head leaned back against the chair. "You're going to have to take the stuff they give to prevent rabies from spreading, but it's the best excuse he could come up with to explain what animal took a chunk out of your leg in the woods."

"What are you doing here, Harrington?" Billy asked tiredly. He let his eyes fall closed as he licked his bottom lip. "How long have I been here?"

"Uh, three days. And Hop said your dad hasn't been around much and that they haven't really let Max come by since that night, so I figured you maybe would like some company." Billy swallowed thickly at the mention of his dad, his heart rate slowly climbing on the monitor beside him.

"What did my dad say?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Steve squinted at the boy before shrugging.

"Max took the blame; said she ran away from you and was hanging with her friends by Hopper's place. She said you went looking for her and that you got lost in the woods and that's when the coyote bit you. From what I can tell he bought it."

Billy let out a sigh of relief, running a hand over his face. He pushed himself forward, grunting as Steve pressed the button to raise the head of the bed. At that angle, he could reach his leg, gently ghosting his finger over the bandage.

"50 stitches. From what I heard it bleed like a mother fucker," Steve said, propping his foot up on the side of the bed.

"You...you said you'd tell me what the fuck this is all about later...I think it's time too start talking," Billy finally said, searching Steve's face.

So Steve did.

He told him about Will going missing, Eleven appearing, and Barb dying. Told him about the Upside Down and the Demodogs and Eleven saving the day. He told him about the riff opening again, how Will started glitching, how he was possessed by that...that thing. Told him how that night Billy had beat his face in was the night the world almost ended. Told him how he couldn't stand to use his own pool because all he could think of was how Barb had died there with no one to hear her cries. How he hadn't had a full nights sleep in months.

Billy listened quietly, asking questions every so often. Once Steve was done, he sat quietly staring at his hands. Steve shifted in his chair uncomfortably, waiting for a response. Finally Billy met his eyes.

"So since I ended up there," Billy began, licking his lips slightly. "Does that mean it's open again? That those...those things can get out?"

"That's what it look like. Look, I know you just accidentally stumbled across this shit. We don't expect anything from you, just uh... Just don't tell anyone, okay? For one, they'd probably think you're crazy. For two, the Lab will probably come after you. But seriously, just don't worry about it, Hargrove." Steve climbed to his feet slowly, pulling his jacket off the back of the chair. He slowly made his way to the door, stopping when he heard Billy clear his throat.

"Hey Harrington," He said, a small grin crossing his face. "Got another one of those bats?"


End file.
